Going to replace a savage I traded a few years ago and trying to decide on a caliber.

I had it in .270 and loved it. But that was when I was shooting just whitetail.
Now I am traveling more and would like to get the most for a cartridge. Bear mule coyote and whitetail are on my list next year.

If you could have just one caliber, for N. America which would it be? I loved the .270 and so that is kind of where I am leaning to. But I only shot whitetail with it. I'd like to be able to have one caliber with the best selection of ammo.

(I'm not worried about the damage done to a coyote cause i shoot them strictly for pest control and I like picking off woodchucks too)

In your opinion(s) please...

762

10-09-2011 05:53 PM

i'd pic a .308, but bears in NC are pretty small. if i were going to use it anywhere in N america, to pick off a wide range of animals, .30-06 for sure. not too bad on recoil and enough power to kill most anything.

i'd get a rifle with a medium weighted barrel and muzzle break and you'd be fine. i like a heavy rifle though.

Papa_Woody

10-09-2011 05:59 PM

Yeah I'm not really looking to take down a Kodiak or a Polar bear... I'd just like to have one gun I can take everywhere and be comfortable and confident.

So the .270 is off your list completely?

Lindenwood

10-09-2011 06:51 PM

For all but really good-sized game, your .270 should really do you just fine. I mean, it is barely behind the .308 in that it can still propel a 150gr bullet to about 2850fps. Any good hunting load in the 130-150gr range should do just fine for most anything you'd want to do.

Great! I guess it will just comedown to what I decide when I get to the gun store. I'm trying to keep it around the 350 price range so we will see. I'm still really torn...

762

10-09-2011 07:05 PM

i see, no it isnt off completely. i've shot them before, but never killed anything with one. i was thinking you would be trying to kill moose or grizzly bears, in which case i'd want a .30-06 (and really, probably a .300 or .338) i think shooting a 10 foot tall grizzly with a .270 would just make him want to eat me even more.

i just think with any gun, as long as you've confident with it, you can make it work. if you're scared of the recoil and you flinching before the shot or you're trigger pull is off, you're never going to be accurate with it. you can take a .50 cal hunting, but you dont hit the animal, it doesnt matter what you shoot. the opposite also applies though, if you know how to use a smaller caliber, you can take a large amount of game.

i'm biased though, i hunt with a remington 700P - .308. very accurate gun, i'm confident i could humanely kill a deer out to 500 yards with it. i wont b/c i find it unpsorting, but if i absolutely had to i could.

Triumphman

10-09-2011 09:52 PM

You picked 3 of N. America's top 3 calibers and you want us Forum members to choose for you----we're honored. Seriously, nothing compares to the OLD RELIABLE 30-06. I like 308 and 270, but the 30-06 is more versatile for any occasion that arises, and you'll NEVER feel undergunned. Every Mom/Pop store from Maine to California carries ammo for it. If you reload, you can go from a mild 150gr for groundhogs(a little overkill, but!!) to heavy 220gr and even kill a 2000+ pound Bison at 400yds if you wanted to. They've used 30-06 in Africa for all game. The 30-06 has been used around the World for years. There's a wealth of reload and factory bullet drop charts and other info on this round, that you'll spend months looking them over. Yes it has a little more kick over the 308 and 270, but with a heavier bullet, you'll get more kick, because of the extra powder needed to throw a heavier bullet. Every rifle Manufacturer builds a 30-06 in different prices and models for your choosing from a $250 single shot NEF all way up to $15,000 Weatherby Customs. All rifles in this caliber are good, it'll just be the selection of rifle choosen and what receiver/bolt action and safety options you want that'll require days to pour over before final pick of rifle. I have a Mossberg ATR100 in 30-06 and it's been great, but if I had to do it all over again, it would of been a Savage, because of the better trigger.
Del

jpattersonnh

10-09-2011 10:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Triumphman
(Post 597482)

You picked 3 of N. America's top 3 calibers and you want us Forum members to choose for you----we're honored. Seriously, nothing compares to the OLD RELIABLE 30-06. I like 308 and 270, but the 30-06 is more versatile for any occasion that arises, and you'll NEVER feel undergunned. Every Mom/Pop store from Maine to California carries ammo for it. If you reload, you can go from a mild 150gr for groundhogs(a little overkill, but!!) to heavy 220gr and even kill a 2000+ pound Bison at 400yds if you wanted to. They've used 30-06 in Africa for all game. The 30-06 has been used around the World for years. There's a wealth of reload and factory bullet drop charts and other info on this round, that you'll spend months looking them over. Yes it has a little more kick over the 308 and 270, but with a heavier bullet, you'll get more kick, because of the extra powder needed to throw a heavier bullet. Every rifle Manufacturer builds a 30-06 in different prices and models for your choosing from a $250 single shot NEF all way up to $15,000 Weatherby Customs. All rifles in this caliber are good, it'll just be the selection of rifle choosen and what receiver/bolt action and safety options you want that'll require days to pour over before final pick of rifle. I have a Mossberg ATR100 in 30-06 and it's been great, but if I had to do it all over again, it would of been a Savage, because of the better trigger.
Del

Africa was a European continent, not .30-06 land. 7x57, 8x57, 9.3x62, .416 Rigby ruled for years. I think even T.R. used a .30-40 Krag.

A heavier bullet uses less powder. It is about case volume and pressure. More powder would increase pressure to the point it would be a catastophic failure.

OP a .30-06 will work fine.

stalkingbear

10-09-2011 10:43 PM

Before we recommend which cartridge you need we're going to have to have more information. What ranges are you going to be shooting at? What terrain? Nothern states or southern (the size of deer/bear varies drastically). How well do you cope with recoil? If I could only have 1 rifle to hunt in North America it would be a 30-06 hands down. But you may have need of the slightly flatter trajectory & less recoil of the .270. That's why we need more information.